Shoe cover



J. l. TICKELIS Oct. 24, 1939.

SHOE COVER Filed Oct. 2'7, 1937 Patented Oct. 24, 1939 .PATENT GFFiCE SHOE COVER James I. Tickelis, Haverhill, Mass.

Application October 2'7,

1 Claim.

This invention relates to protective covers or shells used in the manufacture of shoes to prevent soiling of delicate upper materials assembled on the lasts. More specifically my invention consists in a form-fitting two-part cover having a vamp protecting portion which may be swung upwardly with relation to a counter-enclosing member to expose the edge of the sole so that the necessary edge-trimming and setting operations may be performed.

It is common practice to employ some type of cover during the manufacture of shoes to protect delicate fabrics, suede, or light colored leathers from dust, wax, cement, etc., unavoidably present in shoe factories, and from grease on the hands of the workmen.- I-Ieretofore covers have been either lasted together with the upper or clamped in place over the upper. Covers which are lasted with the upper can be used once only, and their removal from the shoe necessitates a separate step in the manufacture of the finished shoe and added expense. Covers which are clamped over the upper often have flanges engaging thebottom or edges of the sole, with the result that the entire cover must be taken from the shoe before any operation may be performed on the bottom or on the edge of the sole.

An object of my invention is to provide a cover having a vamp or forepart-enclosing portion which may be swung upwardly to expose the edge of the sole temporarily without the necessity of removing the cover from the shoe. A further object of my invention is to cover the complete upper of a shoe and expose the entire bottom of the sole in order that buffing and bottom finishing operations may be performed without disturbing the cover. A still further object of my invention is to protect the throat of a shoe with a cover constructed of material stiff enough to resist the pressure exerted at the throat of a shoe by an operator during the attaching of the heel. To these ends the present invention consists of a two-part shoe cover having a plurality of sections fitting different parts of the shoe and being so assembled and connected that onepart of the cover may be temporarily displaced to expose a selected portion of the shoe without disturbing the remaining part or parts of the cover.

These and other features of the invention will be best understood and appreciated from the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof selected for purposes of illustration, and shown in the accompanying drawing in which,

Fig. 1 is a view in side elevation of a shoe hav- 1937, Serial No. 171,244 (01. 36-72) ing its upper protected by a cover constructed according to my invention,

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the shoe and cover shown in Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a view in side elevation showing the cover on a shoe with the forepart of the cover swung upwardly to expose the edge of the sole,

Fig. 4 is a view inside elevation of the cover, and

Fig. 5 is a view in cross section along the line 5-5 of Fig. 4.

In the drawing, my invention is shown as embodied in a cover for womens shoes, and it is in connection with the manufacture of such shoes that my invention has found its greatest field of use, since delicate upper materials are more generally used in womens shoes than in mens and childrens footwear. However, it'is within the purview of my invention to employ similar covers wherever it is desired to protect the upper of any shoe during manufacture thereof.

In Figs. 1-3 a cover is shown which comprises a shell-like vamp protecting member I I, conforming susbtantially to the contour of a lasted vamp and connected to a counter-enclosing member or heel pocket l2 by eyelets I3 and I4. The eyelets join overlapping ends of the members II and I2 at points opposite each other and substantially above the center of the shank of the shoe. As shown in Fig. 1 the members H and I2 completely cover the vamp I6, and the entire surface of the sole I5 is exposed. To protect the upper I 6 from the inner flanges of the eyelets l3 and I4 patches of cloth I! and 18 are cemented to the inner surface of the counter-enclosing member l2 and positioned to cover the inner flanges of the eyelets. It will be seen that the patches I! and I8 also protect the upper Hi from infiltration of dirt and other substances through the barrels of the eyelets l3 and it.

One desirable method of employing covers according to my invention has been used in connection with the manufacture of womens shoes by the cement process. After the shoe has passed through the sole attaching press, the cover is applied to the upper by being slipped forwardly upon it with its lower edges engaging the edges of the sole. Since the entire bottom surface of the sole I5 is exposed, it is possible to carry out the operations involved in bufiing the bottom of the sole and applying suitable finishes thereto without removing the cover. When it is time to trim and set the edge of the sole, the vampprotecting member H is swung upwardly as shown in Fig. 3. It will be seen that the counterenclosing member [2 remains in position on the upper and that the edge of the sole [5 is now exposed for presentation to a trimming knife or edge setting iron, as shown at I9 in Fig. 3. After the operations on the edge of the sole l5 have been completed, the member I I is returned to its original position so that the entire upper I6 is once more completely covered.

When a shoe is presented to a heel attaching machine,,it is customary for the operator to grasp it firmly about the throat and present the shoe, thus held, to the machine. In so grasping the shoe the operator is apt to break down the throat and form Wrinkles which are generally permanent and fail to respond to treatment. Accordingly, I prefer to construct my cover of relatively stiff material such as fibre board or similar stock. The material must be stiff and resilient enough to resist pressure given it by the operator of the heel attaching machine and resilient enough to cling to the enclosed shoe. The last may be removed Without disturbing the cover and the shoe may be stored unboxed until ready for shipment.

Although my cover is primarily useful during the manufacture of the shoe, it is within the scope of my invention to leave the cover on the shoe indefinitely, since it can well be used by the purchaser to protect the upper from dust and dirt when not being worn and from possible creasing and marring when packed for travel.

It will now be apparent that I have invented a novel cover or shell for use during and after the manufacture of shoes. The upper is completely protected and at the same time the necessary operations on the attached sole may be performed without removing the cover from the shoe. The cover which is the subject matter of the foregoing description serves as an example of a practical embodiment of my invention, while the scope thereof is defined in the appended claim.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is new and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent is:

A cover for protecting the uppers of shoes during the processes of manufacture, comprising a fibre shell shaped to enclose the counter portion of a shoe by a continuous wall and to frictionally engage and cling to the same, and a forepart shell shaped to fit over the vamp portion of the shoe and being pivotally connected to the counter-protecting shell so that it may be swung upwardly about a transverse axis located above the shank of the enclosed shoe to expose the sole temporarily for edge finishing Without disturbing the counterprotecting shell.

JAMES I. TICKELIS. 

